The flawed logic underpinning Saints 7 game losing streak explained – Andy Goode
They say a change is as good as a rest. Northampton might be getting a bit of respite in the next couple of weeks with no hope of European qualification but a change is what they badly need.
Saints have now lost seven on the spin in the Premiership and Champions Cup and the five they’ve lost in the league constitutes their worst losing run since 2011. Jim Mallinder was at the helm then too and will back himself to turn things around but I can’t help thinking that he could do with a bit of help from outside.
I’m not advocating people losing their jobs or a complete overhaul of the coaching staff at all but I have said for a while that they could definitely benefit from a different opinion and a fresh pair of eyes.
Mallinder, Dorian West, Mark Hopley, Alan Dickens and Phil Dowson are all Saints stalwarts and have been there a long time. There isn’t any outside influence, apart from Dowson having spent a couple of years away at Worcester!
Alex King was a forward-thinking coach and has gone on to do a good job with Montpellier but he clashed with some of the older guard in terms of his opinions. Sometimes coaches are averse to bringing in outside influences because they see it as a challenge to their authority but Saints are in a rut and it is sorely needed at the moment.
It does seem like they’re reluctant to change and, while the players need to take their share of the blame, the coaches at Franklin’s Gardens haven’t evolved with the changes in their squad and the changes in the sport in recent seasons.
When Saints were successful, they had a big pack with some really big ball carriers who would get them over the gainline. They’re still trying to play that way but they don’t have the same personnel and the game has moved on.
They don’t have the same monstrous ball carriers like Samu Manoa or Louis Picamoles any more and the coaches need to adapt to who they do have in their squad and also move with the times as well.
Saracens have evolved as a team from basing their game on defence and kick chase to building on those solid foundations and playing a decent brand of rugby. Northampton need to do the same.
Mallinder and West both spoke earlier on in the season about the need to increase their physicality and they need to do that again but I think it’s about being smarter as well and adapting the game plan.
They do need to be more physical on both sides of the ball, though, because their defence has been atrocious at times. They’ve conceded a try bonus point in six of the seven games in this latest run of defeats in the Premiership and Champions Cup. That is not good enough by anyone’s standards.
A team’s stability and success is also built a lot on its halfback pairing because they give you direction and Dan Biggar can’t arrive in the East Midlands soon enough. If you’re chopping and changing in those positions, it’s very difficult for a team that’s lacking in confidence to get any kind of momentum.
Northampton played James Grayson at fly half this weekend and Piers Francis, Harry Mallinder and Stephen Myler have all had a go as well. They are just desperately waiting for Biggar to rock up next year.
They’re not going to get relegated this season but they need to start thinking ahead because Bristol are coming up with big intentions next season and a rapid downward spiral towards relegation has happened to them before.
They reached the Premiership semi-final in 2004 before going down in 2007, when they had a damn good squad but there was a split between the Kiwis and the English and the coaching setup was changed after it got stale. They finished top of the table at the end of the regular season in 2015 but look a world away from that sort of team at the moment.
I’m certainly not advocating anyone getting the sack but there’s no doubt in my mind that they would really benefit from bringing someone else into the fold.
Just look at Gloucester as the blueprint for what kind of impact an outside influence can have. They have finished ninth in three of the last four seasons and eighth in the other but they’re sitting pretty in second at the moment after five wins in a row in the Premiership and their best run since 2011.
The Gloucester faithful have suffered in recent years and are right to be confident and celebrate their lofty position in the table but Rome wasn’t built in a day and they might not quite be back to the glory days just yet.
Johan Ackermann has had a massive impact, though, particularly on the culture and mentality at the club, and winning is infectious so you can see them staying in the upper echelons of the Premiership.
They don’t lose too many players when the Six Nations is on and they’re in the Challenge Cup as well, which means their big players get more rest than those at other clubs and that’ll help.
Owen Williams and Ed Slater were top signings in the summer and, as well as quality, they have brought a hard-nosed edge from Leicester that has rubbed off on others but the exciting thing for Gloucester fans is that Ackermann hasn’t really dipped into the transfer market yet himself to improve the squad where he sees fit.
He’ll definitely want to add players but you can’t buy culture, you have to work hard on it and he seems to be getting that aspect right straight away and getting contributions from players you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be performing at the top level.
Tom Hudson was working in Kuala Lumpur after retiring from the game due to a nerve issue but came to Gloucester last season and now Ackermann has him looking like a top class full back.
I still think the top four will remain the same is at was at the end of last season but Gloucester have put themselves in a very strong position to finish in the top six and really push those four teams hard.
They go to Wasps in their next league game just before Christmas and that will be the litmus test for them in terms of whether they can sustain a challenge towards the top end of the table this season.
The Cherry and Whites are looking up, though, and Saints need to look outside if they want to follow their lead and turn their fortunes around.
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments